Outlook: The Eagles hope to ride a strong, experienced defense with eight starters back to compete for a league crown again after finishing second last season.

"We are comfortable right now with where our defense is," Nichols said. "We return six of our front seven, so we expect our play to be high on that side of the ball."

The Eagles will count on sophomore quarterback Nathan Craft.

"Hopefully we can get the running game going and get him comfortable early," Nichols said.

Success in the BVC won't be easy as several teams look to be improved.

"The league overall should see a lot of improvement," Nichols said. "The past few years, it's been a three-team race with McComb, Leipsic and us. Now I think it could be five teams with Van Buren and Arlington in the mix."